[Thanos]

Two rural UCP MLAs expelled from party caucus over open criticism of Kenney.

Looks like the festering boil finally burst. Let's see who gets smeared with most of the ick and goo.

[Thanos]

Alberta RCMP possibly being targeted for violence?

https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2021 ... eat-police

$1:

May 11, 2021
Edmonton, Alberta

News release

Alberta RCMP have learned of images circulating on social media purportedly showing RCMP vehicles and members in the crosshairs of a rifle scope during this past weekend's rally at the Whistle Stop Café in Mirror, Alta.

These images are still being investigated to determine if they were a credible threat to members or an act to intimidate members on scene.

Nothing here surprises me anymore.

[DrCaleb]

Thanos Thanos:

Nothing here surprises me anymore.

That surprises me. It seems a bit too extreme even for Alberta to target police, in order to defend a restaurant's right to spread COVID.

[DrCaleb]

A tale of two cafés: The other restaurant in Mirror, Alta., chooses to follow the COVID rulebook

[Thanos]

Wonder how long before Mae's Kitchen get's burned down one night for being civically responsible and because, y'know, Make Alberta Great Again.

[DrCaleb]

I heard an interview, I think it was from the owner of Mae's kitchen on the radio. She was saying that protesters called her up, and asked for her to give them free food. Apparently she opposed some of the restrictions, only because they weren't being applied evenly. This led the anti-maskers to think she was one of them.

When she said 'no' and wondered why she had to eat the costs of their lunch, they gave her all sorts of negative reviews on Facebook and other ratings sites. Even from people who had never been to her establishment.

That is the kind of maturity these people bring to the conversation.

[Thanos]

Will update later if it makes a proper news source but apparently someone at today's freedumb rally in Calgary was handing out "freedom bullets". As in an actual bullet in a plastic bag, along with a slip of paper to the website of these true "patriots".

https://twitter.com/EdmontonAgainst/sta ... 9250586625

Anyone still dumb enough to believe that the poison Trump unleashed in the United States was contained in the slightest by the border? Or that there aren't a shit-load of right-wing types just stewing in their juices wanting to do in Alberta what Trump & his orcs did in the US?

[DrCaleb]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

$1:

Racist mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston is about to have all Calgary voters' names, addresses

In the not-so-distant future, a man who has a history of racist, hateful, allegedly violent behaviour and is attempting to publish the private information of Alberta Health Services employees is set to receive a list that includes the names, addresses and phone numbers of every Calgarian eligible to vote.

That's because Kevin J. Johnston, known for organizing, leading and speaking at far-right protests against government-imposed pandemic restrictions, is running for mayor of Calgary.

In his capacity as an official candidate, Johnston will receive voter information for everyone in the city the day after nominations close in September.

Johnston is currently facing an assault charge in B.C., hate crimes charges in Ontario and has made numerous posts online attempting to get the addresses of AHS employees with threats to show up at their homes armed.

But when reached for comment by CBC News, Johnston said he did not issue threats.

"That's absolutely inaccurate," said Johnston. "What I've done is I've issued a promise."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ ... -1.6020029

Aaaannndd . . . he got himself arrested.

[Thanos]

And we got another one

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ ... -1.6029078

$1:

Calgary Pastor Tim Stephens has been arrested, after months of encouraging church congregants to break public health rules.

Police said Stephens was arrested for organizing a church service on Sunday at Fairview Baptist Church in southeast Calgary, in violation of a Court of Queen's Bench Order that requires organizers of events to comply with public health restrictions.

Stephens was proactively served a copy of the court order, which was obtained by Alberta Health Services, last week.

"The pastor acknowledged the injunction, but chose to move forward with today's service, ignoring requirements for social distancing, mask wearing and reduced capacity limits for attendees," police said in an emailed release.

Police said AHS had been attempting for weeks to work with the church to address the ongoing public health concerns at the site, and that enforcement was a last resort.

A January inspection by Alberta Health Services at the church found only two of approximately 75 attendees were wearing masks, the pastor and church staff were unmasked and rows in the auditorium were full, with people sitting side-by-side in rows less than two metres apart.

The inspection also found that there was no cleaning or disinfecting of high-touch surfaces between services.

Apparently the UCP never figured out the part that with some people if you give them an inch they'll steal a fucking mile on you, especially when they realize that no enforcement of laws means to them that you have no goddamn backbone at all. Besides a hardcore church could never be as dangerous to Alberta as, say, a Cartoon Bigfoot is.

On the flipside, almost 3100 other churches in Alberta have managed to obey the goddamn law over the last year, which is more than encouraging. Gonna try not to throw the baby out with the bathwater over the single-digit assholes who couldn't.

[llama66]

There was a freedom protest here on Saturday, one minute I hear some mouth breather on a bull horn the next thing I hear is a cacophony of sirens and helicopters.

[DrCaleb]

$1:

Alberta abruptly cancels request for drone surveillance to watch campers on public land

The Alberta government on Tuesday abruptly cancelled a request for proposals seeking a contractor to provide long-range drones to help with enforcement of camping on public lands this summer.

Posted on Friday, the RFP suggested Alberta Environment and Parks planned to use drones to take photos and video of "designated areas" of public lands over four weekends this summer and fall.

"ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) collection will take place within designated areas in Alberta between July 1–4, 2021, July 31- August 3, 2021, September 4-7, 2021 and October 9-12, 2021 ... to include detection of campfires, off-highway vehicles operating in restricted areas, gatherings of ten (10) or more individuals, and officer safety support," the bid document stated.

But Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon said Tuesday the request was not reviewed or approved by anyone in his office before it was posted.

"As soon as I became aware of the request for suppliers related to Long Range Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (drones) I instructed my department to suspend it," Nixon said in a statement to CBC News.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton ... -1.6031201

[DrCaleb]

So, is Minister Nixon not in control of his Ministry, or is he just incompetent?

[bootlegga]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

$1:

Alberta abruptly cancels request for drone surveillance to watch campers on public land

The Alberta government on Tuesday abruptly cancelled a request for proposals seeking a contractor to provide long-range drones to help with enforcement of camping on public lands this summer.

Posted on Friday, the RFP suggested Alberta Environment and Parks planned to use drones to take photos and video of "designated areas" of public lands over four weekends this summer and fall.

"ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) collection will take place within designated areas in Alberta between July 1–4, 2021, July 31- August 3, 2021, September 4-7, 2021 and October 9-12, 2021 ... to include detection of campfires, off-highway vehicles operating in restricted areas, gatherings of ten (10) or more individuals, and officer safety support," the bid document stated.

But Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon said Tuesday the request was not reviewed or approved by anyone in his office before it was posted.

"As soon as I became aware of the request for suppliers related to Long Range Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (drones) I instructed my department to suspend it," Nixon said in a statement to CBC News.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton ... -1.6031201


So, is Minister Nixon not in control of his Ministry, or is he just incompetent?

He may be incompetent, but there's no way in hell a bureaucrat posted an RFP like that without some sort of sign-off from the Minister's Office.

He's just engaging in the time honoured conservative tradition of throwing civil servants under the bus to cover his ass.

[DrCaleb]

^^^

So he's just an idiot then. What did he think was going to happen?

Buy some satellite photos, like everyone else.

[herbie]

$1:

Alberta abruptly cancels request for drone surveillance to watch campers on public land

One more example of Rise of Idiot Management Thinking.
When I was a kid, main campgrounds had an attendant that did more than just collect money. They supervised a couple summer students that cleaned and raked campsites as soon as people cleared out. They rode around taking garbage cans away, restocking wood piles, refilling the asswipe in the outhouse and even cleaning them. Some even had 'guides' that would take people on tours and point out flora and fauna, others that even showed 16mm NFB films in amphitheatres where a couple dozen people could sit on stumps.
Here there's now a "PRIVATIZED" attendant responsible for two sites here, two in the next town and another an hour away in yet another one. No longer even a bunkhouse at the campsite for them to sleep or take a break, only ONE PERSON doing 5 sites, buy or provide your own firewood and asswipe. Provide their own vehicle and bid against each other for the lowest wage possible. Pretty much all they do is run from one site to another collecting money and that's from everyone, camping overnight or not, because that's just well...easier.
Fuck, the world has turned to shit because of this type of thinking.